What is the Best Capo for Acoustic Guitar?

Choosing the best capo for acoustic guitar is somewhat down to personal preference and somewhat down to budget.

There are several options for acoustic capo’s and there are capos that are designed specifically for acoustic guitars and there are others that can be used on any guitar.

Capo Price Range

Prices can range from anywhere from as little as $5 to as much as $50 – in the normal range. But you can also get some really pricey models and I’ve seen capos for as much as $235!

But you shouldn’t need to spend that much to get a good capo that’ll do a good job.

Different Types of Capo

Below are some of the different types you can expect to see.

Strap On Capos

Strap on capos work how they sound. There is usually a metal bar with rubber that sits on the strings with a strap attached to it.

The strap is then wrapped around the back of the neck and attached to the other side of the bar. The tightness of the strap can be adjusted to make sure that it is tight enough.

The straps are usually made from some form of fabric or elastic.

These types of capos are usually well priced but aren’t very common these days.

Pros:

The strap (depending on the material used) is nice on the back of the neck

The strap conforms to the shape of the guitar

You can be creative with the style of strap you use

They are compact and unobtrusive on your playing

Low cost

Cons:

May not last as long as other capos

Placing the capo can require a bit of effort – you need to be careful to lay the bar down properly so that it is straight across the strings and that the strings are evenly spaced

Can take longer than other types to affix

Not easy or practical to attach to your headstock when not in use

Spring Loaded Capos

These are perhaps the most common type of capo going around. This is probably because they are easy to use and don’t cost too much.

To place a spring loaded capo you simply squeeze on one end to open the capo out allowing it to fit around the neck of the guitar. You then set up where you want the capo and once you have in place simple release the trigger and the capo squeezes onto the neck.

Pros:

Easy to use

Fast to attach

Low cost

Can be attached or removed using just one hand

You can easily attach to your headstock when not in use for easy access the next time you need it

Cons:

The amount of pressure applied to the strings can’t always be adjusted (in the standard spring loaded capo)

Usually look fairly ugly (in my opinion anyway)

Aren’t very compact and can be intrusive while playing

Triggered/Lever Capos

Triggered capos work slightly differently than spring loaded capos.

A triggered capo has two padded bars. The first padded bar sits on top of the strings and the other one has a rounded shape and sits on the neck of the guitar.

Rather than being spring loaded the triggered capo opens right out and is loose until you pull the trigger. So you set the string bar across the strings, place the neck bar on the back of the neck and then squeeze the trigger until it locks in place.

There is usually a way of adjusting the tension and this may need to be done several times when you first use it until you can lock it in place.

Pros:

Relatively compact when locked in place compared with the spring loaded

Once you get your desired tension fairly quick to get on and off

Cons:

Slightly more difficult to use than their spring loaded cousins

Can affect string spacing if not applied carefully or if the tension is too tight

Can take a bit of playing around to get the tension right

Still not completely unobtrusive when playing

Shubb Capos

Shubb capos are capos made by a specific company and these are technically probably trigger capos. But they are a special type of trigger capo.

They work in a similar way in that they have two bars – one placed on the strings and one placed on the neck and then a lever is pulled to lock it in place. You can adjust the tension to get it just right.

It is essentially a flash version of a trigger capo but is designed so that it will lock and place and never move and won’t affect your tuning or bend the strings. That’s not to say that all other trigger capos will but there’s less risk with a Shubb and they have a good reputation.

Pros:

Easier to remove and apply than a standard trigger capo

Less likely to affect string tuning or bending of strings

Locks in place and won’t move while playing

Nice and compact and unobtrusive when playing

Easy to stow away on the headstock

Retains tone well

Cons:

Higher price

Time it takes to initially set up the tension

G7th Capos

Like Shubb, G7th is a Capo-specific brand and have their own type of capo.

You can get G7th trigger capos and spring loaded capos but you can also get what they call their performance capo (see image to the right).

The way this works is just by placing the capo over the strings and squeezing it. This locks it into place and then just by squeezing a small lever (see bottom left of image) you can remove it.

Pros:

Very easy and fast to place on and remove

Can be tucked away easily onto the headstock (or even just onto the nut)

Retains the tone of the guitar

Puts just enough pressure on the strings to clamp them down but not so much that it goes out of tune or loses tone

Compact and unobtrusive when playing

Cons:

Higher price

Capo Brands

The more specialized capo companies, like Shubb and G7th design capos specific for:

steel string acoustic guitars

classical guitars

12 string guitars

Electric guitars

Banjos

Partial capos (that only fret a certain number of strings)

Thanks for reading

I hope this post has given you more knowledge on acoustic guitar capos and which type of capo you think is best for your guitar.

If you can think of any other types of capos or if you have any questions or comments please feel free to leave them in the comments section below.

Categories

Sixstringacoustic.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.